(USATODAY.com) - The remainder of the Columbus Blue Jackets-Dallas Stars game was postponed after Dallas' Rich Peverley collapsed on the bench with a "cardiac event" during the first period.

The public address announcer said that Peverley had been taken to the hospital and was conscious. The league later said that he was "doing well and is in stable condition."

Stars players began calling for a paramedic with 6:23 gone in the game, and Peverley was rushed off the bench.He had played 2 minutes, 35 seconds in the game and had just returned from a shift.

"When he dropped, it was red alert," coach Lindy Ruff told reporters after the game. "Don't worry about the game. Don't worry about anything else. Just turn around and scream for a doctor."

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"He was able to tell me where he was and he actually wanted to get back in the game," Dr. Gil Salazar said of his conversation with Peverley in the ambulance.

Peverley missed training camp because of an irregular heartbeat and had a procedure done to correct it. Salazar said the player has an "abnormal quivering" of his heart, and the team said Peverley's condition is carefully monitored.

The NHL said the game was halted because"of the emotional state of the players on both teams caused by the medical emergency."

The league will determine when the game will be rescheduled.

"It's obviously a compressed schedule and it will be difficult to do," said Stars President Jim Lites, "but we'll all work together to do the right thing."

Monday's situation was similar to what happened to Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jiri Fischer. He collapsed on the bench in November 2005 and was revived by CPR and a defibrillator. That game, too, was postponed.

The full 60 minutes were replayed, though the Nashville Predators started the game with the 1-0 lead they held at the time of the November incident. The Blue Jackets were up 1-0 in Monday's game.

Doctors weren't immediately sure of Peverley's longer-term status.

"I assume he's going to have extensive testing over the next day or so and I assume more information will be available later on," Salazar said.